The Braves’ free agency move is already paying off.
The Atlanta Braves are currently gearing up for the upcoming 2025 MLB season by participating in Spring Training. The 2025 campaign will be filled with expectations for the Braves, who are coming off of an injury-riddled 2024 season that saw them lose in the NLDS to the San Diego Padres.
The biggest move of the offseason for Atlanta was signing former Padres All-Star Jurickson Profar to a three-year contract. With Ronald Acuna out of the lineup for at least the opening portion of the season due to an ACL tear, Profar has been leading off for the Braves so far in spring training, a trend which figures to continue into the regular season.
“There’s a lot of things that make [Profar] a dangerous hitter, his ability to hit from both sides and his intelligence at the plate” starting pitcher Reynaldo López said, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “Whenever I had to face him, I felt like I always went in with a little more caution and a little more prepared. Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about that this year.”
Manager Brian Snitker then spoke on the rationale for inserting Profar into the leadoff spot.
“We kind of had a makeshift-type thing with [the leadoff spot],” Snitker said. “It’s hard when you lose probably the best [leadoff hitter] in the game. But [Profar’s] versatility, especially being a switch-hitter, I love that. He’s had success [leading off], too. So, he knows what it’s all about.”
Can the Braves contend in 2025?
Entering the 2025 season, the Braves figure to be on the short list of teams who feel they have a legitimate chance to compete for a World Series championship.
The bad news for Atlanta is that the majority of the other teams on that list also reside in the NL, with two of them–the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets–being fellow members of the NL East, a division that the Braves did not win last year for the first time since 2017.
Still, while the team waits for Acuna’s return, it seems that Profar will have the leadoff position in steady hands.
